Soccer performance demands and development are on the forefront of research these days and within the last year there have been some huge studies. Not every study is done perfectly, but I think when they use large enough sample sizes like they did in the cases below, there is a lot to learn and it would be dumb of me not to use this valuable information to help players and coaches. So, lets get nerdy and dive in to the science.

Bosch has changed the way many strength and conditioning and soccer coaches approach training, His dynamic systems approach is far superior than the usual reductionist approach. Here are my basic findings related to soccer players.

I see a lot of coaches running the crap out of their players before, during, and after training. I can understand every now and then doing such grueling, NTF (not-that-fun) kind of work with older players, but what about younger players? A study on Spanish elite youth players, average aged of 13 years old, showed that small sided games are as effective as interval training for maintaining aerobic fitness in elite youth soccer players.

The mental and physical demands that are usually placed on players during soccer training can lead to diminished performance. Undergoing prolonged and heavy soccer training may bring about something called overtraining syndrome, burnout or staleness. Additionally, having too many games done within a very short period can lead to poor performance and could increase the chances of injury and illness. The article will look at the various symptoms or signs of overtraining and the causes behind it.